Jubei-Chan

The Ninja Girl

reviewed by Magus Darkstar

Episodes reviewed: 1-13

What: Nanohana Jiyu is the new girl in town. She doesn't really know her way around, so she gets lost easily. However, when she meets Koinosuke, a samurai who has been living for 300 years. Koinosuke gives her the "Lovely Eye-patch", which she puts on and gains the power of the legendary Yagyu Jubei! Now, Jubei (what her father has always called her), must battle those under the hold of the grudge by transforming into Yagyu Jubei II. But, what would a 15 year old girl want with something like that anyway!. Jiyu/Yagyu Jubei II

The Good: Right off the bat, this series is hilarious. It's wacky humor is rivaled by that seen in Excel Saga and Kodomo no Omocha. Even through the serious and emotional parts of the series (which there were alot more than I expected), you can always expect something extremely out of the ordinary to break the ice. I was a little disappointed that the opening was about 10 seconds long, and a little more disappointed that the ending wasn't a wacky song like the series is, but it is a good song none-the-less. The characters in this series, after a few volumes, really speak to you. There are times when something will happen and you find yourself saying, "aww". There are some very emotional times in the series, however, the humor is over the top.

The Bad: Unforunately, the first part of the series is very "villain-of-the-week". Jubei takes one down, one comes up. Also, there is a small bit of humor that may turn some people off near the beginning, such as all the men continuing to stare at Jiyu's breasts or butt. The laughs are much funnier as the series progresses. The series is only 13 episodes. That doesn't leave very much for character development. Finally, the brand of off-the-wall, wacky humor may just not be for you. It is really unique, and I can certainly picture a viewer just left confused.

The Bottom-Line: The balance of humor and drama make this series a winner for me. I wasn't too sure about having a very high regard for it until I watched the final volume and thought it was great. The final volume is what really did it for me. It was very well done and powerful. The final fight had me shocked, and I found myself feeling for some characters that I had put aside in my mind. For 13 episodes, the series actually makes the characters easy to relate to and enjoy. If you are in the mood for comedy and your wallet is tight, check out the four volumes of Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl. You'll laugh yourself stupid.

Dub: Crap. Absolute crap. Jiyu sounds like a twenty year old and the lines are delivered out of rhythm with the animation, leaving some visual jokes or puns up in the air. Subtitled all the way.